


Chance Encounters

by hellostarlight20



Series: Prompts [22]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, First Meeting, Romance, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 01:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6137113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellostarlight20/pseuds/hellostarlight20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From @zoebelle9’s prompt: doctor/rose prompts, meeting at a speed dating event?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chance Encounters

Rose Tyler seriously debated her own sanity. Not because she lost a bet—bets were either won or lost and she figured her record was about even. No, because she had a bad feeling about the bet even before she agreed to Jack’s wackier-than-normal terms.

He cheated. Rose was sure of it.

And now she was trapped. Trapped! In a speed dating event.

Well…not exactly _in_ the event. So far she hadn’t managed to do more than enter the building and stand a dozen or so feet from the registration table. Far enough away that no one would realize she was there for speed dating. Close enough that it might count as actually attesting.

And just what were the exact terms of their agreement? Frankly, Rose was shocked Jack hadn’t insisted on accom—

“Oh hello, there you are.”

Rose jerked at the voice. Good God had someone recognized her? She had a glimpse of deep brown eyes, wild brown hair, and a wide smile as the someone slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her uncomfortably close.

“Let. Go.” She hissed and stepped away.

How polite was she supposed to be in public? Polite enough not to elbow the man who clearly mistook her for another? Rose was pretty sure about that but had enough groping on the estate then at uni to not tolerate it now.

Now that she stepped away from him she saw how handsome he was. Pity. Her initial assessment hadn’t been wrong. And if it weren’t for the fact he mistook her for whoever he was looking for—or a complete nutter—she’d have thought him handsome.

Still did, but that was completely beside the point.

“Sorry.” His smile dropped slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He looked over his shoulder.

Rose frowned and looked over his shoulder as well. Rather around him, since even in her heels he was quite a bit taller than she. The hotel lobby was moderately crowded for a Tuesday evening in a not particularly exciting week in February, but she didn’t see anyone worth recognizing.

He turned back around and offered a sheepish smile. “I’m hiding from my ex,” the tall stranger confided.

And dear Lord, what was with her and the _tall stranger_ rubbish? Her mind needed help. So did her heart which seemed to beat triple-time. And when she took a deep breath to get a grip on herself, all Rose smelled was this stranger’s cologne. It was a woodsy scent she hadn’t thought she’d appreciate until this very moment.

Eyebrows high in disbelief, at herself and at him, she studied him for a minute. “And you thought doing so at a speed dating event was the way to do that?”

Which was not what she wanted to say at all. Nor had she wanted to smile, but that happened as well. Clearly, despite Jack’s insistence otherwise, she still did know how to flirt, thank you. 

Abashed, the man shrugged. But his grin returned and he looked genuinely pleased. Her stomach did that stupid swoopy thing again.

“Is that what this is?” He glanced at the registration table. “Huh. Wasn’t paying attention when I spotted her. Just turned around and headed in the opposite direction fast as I could.”

He looked over his shoulder again. Rose eyed him, but he didn’t look too broken up about hiding from this mysterious ex. Did he not want the confrontation? Or did he not care enough about the confrontation? Sometimes it was hard to tell with blokes.

“Is she gone?” Rose asked and swept her gaze around the mid-sized hotel lobby.

“Yeah. I think she was just leaving.” His shoulders sagged in relief and he turned back to her, bright smile firmly in place. “I’m the Doctor,” he said and thrust his hand out.

Rose took it, eyebrows still raised. “Rose Tyler.”

And she absolutely did not think about how his hand felt around hers. She didn’t. Really.

“Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler.” He hadn’t released her hand and his slightly cool fingers tightened around hers. She tried not to enjoy the way he said her name, soft and drawn out. It was a losing battle. 

“Is the Doctor your real name?” she asked instead of holding onto his hand. Or asking him to say her name again.

Who was the nutter here? Him or her?

“Nope!” He leaned closer and whispered as if his name were a state secret. “It’s really John Smith, but that’s horribly boring.”

She snickered and nodded. “All right. Doctor.” She nodded again to his apparent delight as he grinned happily down at her. “So what are you doing here, then?” Rose asked at a loss as to any other conversation and wanting to prolong it as long as possible.

All right, maybe Jack had been right—she really needed to brush up on her flirting conversational skills. She was woefully out of practice. Even if her stomach swooped when the Doctor’s smile widened.

“I was meeting a friend for drinks.” He frowned and looked toward the hotel bar at the other end of the lobby. “But he seems to have stood me up.”

“Sorry about that,” she said. Before she had the chance to debate asking him to drinks or letting it be, he returned his gaze to her.

“What are you doing here?” His eyes flitted to the bar then to the speed dating registration table.

Rose sighed. “Lost a bet.” She sighed again. And why was she so embarrassed over being seen at a speed dating thing? She shouldn’t be and stood straighter. “I lost a bet with a mate and this was the deal. I had to sit through at least one round of speed dating.”

“Is that how these work, then?” the Doctor asked, suddenly fascinated. “There are rounds?”

Rose opened her mouth to agree then snapped it closed. She shrugged but felt herself grinning with him. “No idea. That’s what Jack said so I assumed, but then he was the one who came up with this—” she waved her hand at the table, the doors, the huge sign—“as his terms, so I’ve no idea.”

The Doctor walked to the double doors and leaned on one hand as he peered inside. His entire body extended through the doorway and for the first time Rose noticed he wore a brown pinstriped suit and blue trainers.

She blinked at the oddity but he was pulling himself back from the door, nodding to himself. “Want to try it?”

“God, no.” But she laughed and tugged him back into the alcove. The registration woman—hostess?—glared at them in a silent passive-aggressive way.

“What happens if you don’t go through with the terms of your bet?” he asked, looking far too interested in it.

Rose wondered if he was this interested in everything as it seemed he was in speed dating. Or was he interested in her? Her stomach swooped again and she grinned wider, her tongue peaking along the corner of her mouth.

And she did not miss how his gaze flicked to her mouth then aback to hers then to her mouth again.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“So, Rose Tyler,” the Doctor said, gaze now firmly on hers. But he’d moved closer, just a step. “Does it count as fulfilling the terms of your agreement if you technically don’t speed date but leave with me?”

“I don’t know,” she said again. Then turned and held out her hand. “But I’m willing to give it a go. Hungry?”

“Starved,” he said still grinning. His eyes sparkled and he slid his hand against hers.

Rose tried not to tell herself it was a perfect fit. After all, it was just holding hands. Herself didn’t quite buy it, however.

“Let’s go get chips. And you can tell me…” she trailed off and scrambled for the threads of flirty banter. Laughing she looked up at him. “You can tell me something amazing about yourself.”


End file.
